Considering Christmas Just Past
Sunday, Dec. 28, 2003, 4:28 p.m.

QUESTION: Does anyone else sing carols in the shower?

WHAT I LEARNED: The pain of childbirth is somewhat compensating by said kids' participation in the gift-wrapping process.

So Christmas is a done deal for most of us by now. I admit that we still have to drive up to my parents next week for a post-dated Christmas visit and I�ll admit that I don�t have everything together for that visit but I�ve been busy basking in the glow of Christmas Just Past. Just like Mr. And Mrs. Claus � I�ve earned some down time.

I am a Christmas season fan but even with days off before Christmas to work on holiday tasks, I still felt over-busy and a bit more rushed than anticipated this year. There are so many holiday related duties and chores to accomplish during this festive season. Now for some folks this means:

• Baking and baking and baking;
• Mega-decorating � inside and out;
• Wrapping gifts with care;
• Entertaining graciously;
• Looking fit and beautiful in tasteful holiday outfits;
• Writing personalized notes on every Christmas card;
• Making room for charity at this special time of year � perhaps visiting the poor, the old, the downtrodden;
• Cleaning an already clean home so that it sparkles like a holiday jewel;
• Caroling round the neighborhood;
• Planning a fabulous Christmas Day dinner;
• Hitting midnight mass.

I admire these individuals. My accomplishments over the holiday season were a bit different:

• Saying - what�s wrong with convenience? - as I buy the pre-baked pies at the supermarket;
• Replacing the decorative outdoor flag featuring a turkey and cornucopia with our Christmas flag by the third week in December;
• Encouraging the kids to wrap as many gifts as possible � hey, I�ve done my time;
• Dodging entertaining opportunities like Superman dodges a speeding bullet;
• Finding my $1.99 jingly Christmas earrings to wear on Christmas Day and stopping at Kmart to purchase a damn nice looking faux-fur-collared knit sweater for those special upscale holiday events at which I must make an appearance;
• Writing out Christmas cards on the evening of December 23rd � thanks everyone for putting return addresses on those cards and letters;
• Riding myself of all my pocket change as I run the gauntlet of Salvation Army red kettles posted outside of every store in town;
• Getting the house clean enough to put up last minute decorations and one just-rescued tree on the weekend before Christmas;
• Singing carols in the shower;
• Planning to attend a friend�s Christmas Day open house with fabulous dinner included;
• Hitting midnight mass.

And how was your holiday season?

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